The opening also coincides with the launch of the INFINITI LAB Global Accelerator Program

INFINITI Motor Company opened a new collaborative space in the beating heart of Hong Kong last month, serving as the official home for ‘INFINITI LAB’, a global accelerator designed to support startups to unlock success.

The dedicated space is located in California Tower, Hong Kong’s central business district and is home to the latest INFINITI LAB Global Accelerator Program. The opening coincided with the launch of the program last month, where eight advanced-stage startups have embarked on a 12-week program, connecting with world-class mentors and the local VC and investor community.

INFINITI LAB

INFINITI LAB’s team now sit within the co-working space and works closely with these global startups, while agile INFINITI business units use the space to work on new revenue and strategic booster projects for the automaker.

In anticipation of the launch of the INFINITI LAB Global Accelerator Program, INFINITI LAB, hosted an intensive Open Innovation Workshop featuring innovation teams from corporate partners including Hysan Development Company Limited, Li & Fung Limited, MTR Corporation, Shanghai Tang, Swire Properties Limited and The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Limited. It was the first of an ongoing collaboration program between INFINITI and other corporate partners to share best-practice and drive internal innovation initiatives.

The Open Innovation Workshop was moderated by Andrew de Bruijn of Industrie & Co, a tech engineering and innovation firm and proved to be an invaluable opportunity for participants to understand each other’s successes as well as their respective learnings. It is this shared learning that exemplifies INFINITI LAB’s objectives.

“There is so much knowledge and information already in existence – businesses need to be able to harness that knowledge for efficient innovation,” said Industrie & Co.’s Andrew de Bruijn.

INFINITI LAB’s Open Innovation Forum brings INFINITI and external partners together with the wider innovation ecosystem of Hong Kong and proactively drives, collaboration, community and openness.

The Program

The INFINITI LAB Global Accelerator for 2018 promises to be one of renewed open innovation, shared learning, and best practice with a focus on ‘Premium Connected Mobility’.

“While many talk about collaboration, we act on it. We listen to startups, who speak directly to their customers on a day-to-day basis and assess their customer’s experiences, gauging what they really want. This is something we can learn and benefit from as INFINITI works towards a frictionless user experience,” said Dane Fisher, General Manager, Global Transformation & Brand at INFINITI Motor Company.

The program is jointly facilitated by INFINITI and Nest.vc. The 2018 startups were selected for their potential to work with INFINITI to design seamless tech-enabled mobility experiences for the premium consumer across the program’s three verticals: alternative retail, digital ecosystem and connected mobility.

Learn more about the startups here: PassKit (Hong Kong), Yimian (Mainland China), Apostera (Germany), Autobahn (Estonia), Brisk Synergies (Canada), SmartTones Media (Canada), Drive Motors (USA) and OviDrive (Australia).

About INFINITI LAB
INFINITI LAB is a unique global accelerator that helps entrepreneurs achieve success by providing expert mentoring and access to an unrivalled network of partners, investors and local startup communities.

About INFINITI LAB Hong Kong
INFINITI LAB Hong Kong is a twelve week accelerator program run by premium automotive brand, INFINITI, together with Nest. The program supports growth-stage startups from all over the world with business development, investor access, and by providing the tools to build a strong foundation for success.

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Disclosure: This article is sponsored by INFINITI LABS

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